Life after brain injury – one small victory at a time.
When I returned to work after treatment for brain cancer, I found it was difficult for others to grasp exactly what had changed for me. I looked fine on the outside, but inside things were much more complicated. I realised that if people understood the nature of my difficulties — and how they could best work with me — then day-to-day life would run far more smoothly for everyone.
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When I went back to work after my illness, one of the most important things that happened was the process around “reasonable adjustments.” Occupational health got involved and set up a proper conversation between me and my manager. Together, we worked out goals that matched what I was realistically able to do with my new limitations. I’m not an expert in the legal details, but I do know that employers have some responsibility here — and being part of a large company definitely helped. We ended up with a living “reasonable adjustments” document, which we reviewed every month. The deal was simple: if I kept to the adjusted goals and did my part, then in the annual performance appraisals I’d automatically get a rating that kept me safe from being penalised or dismissed for underperformance. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave me security and a fair framework to keep contributing at work.
Half a Mind to .. 